Floor surfacing machine



July 7,1936. E W DH 2,047,158

I FLO R SURFACING MACHINE Fild March 20, 1954 C5 Sheets-Sheet l July 7,1936. F. E. WADHAMS FLOOR SURFACING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1934 sSheets-She et 2 July 7, 1936.

F. E. WADHAMS 2,047,158

FLOOR SURFACING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mm1 EPatented July 7, 1936 I r PATENT "OFFICE FLOOR; SURFACING MACHINEFrederick E. Wadhams, Chicago, 111., assignor to Lincoln-Schlueter FloorMachinery 00., Inc.,

Chicago, Ill.

Application March 20, 1934, Serial No. 716,532

9 Claims.

My invention relatesin general to floor surfacing machines and inparticular to a sanding device for surfacing or for resurfacing floors.

In the past, sanding machines used for surfac- 5 ing or resurfacingfloors have been very heavy,

complicated devices, initially expensive, andexpensive to maintain. Thecomplicated structure has necessitated a skilled workman both for theoperation and maintenance of the machine, and this, together with thelarge investment in the machine itself, of course increases the cost ofthis type of work.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved floor surfacingmachine.

sive dependable sanding machine, light in weight,.

and readily portable.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the complete sanding machine; l

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine of my invention with a portionof the frame broken away to more clearly show the specific structure;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation in perspective, of the guard for the pulleysand belts on the sanding machine;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the sheet metal 40 frame itself;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the assembled ma chine with the sanderguard raised;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevationof the frame and. a detail of part of thestructure mounted thereon;

Fig. I is an elevation of a fragmentary portion of the sander drum, andmounting structure;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the dust pan;

Fig. 9 is a View in elevation of the motor drive pulley;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view along the, line l- -l0 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective of the complete machine. a 7

In the preferred form of my invention, I pro- 55 vide an integral sheetmetal channel shaped A further object is to provide a compact and,

frame-having a drum carried beneath the shelf of the frame and insidethe front portion thereof, dust collecting means carried at the insiderear of the frame comprising a dust pan, blower and blower tube forcollecting the dust, with a motor mounted on the top shelf of the frameand having belts connecting both the drum and blower to simultaneouslydrive the two operating ele-' ments of the machine. I further provide anadjustment for the motor and blower such as to expedite the assembly ofthe machine and make it possible to take up any'slack developing in thebelts without dismantling the entire apparatus. A sanding machine mustof necessity be capable of operation at relatively great speeds to cutdown 15 the surface of the floor, must be sturdy, and fairly heavy but"as light as possible to facilitate easy handling. The machine of myinvention is built up from a sheet metal channel frame l0 having a shelfII and downwardly extending flanges I2 and i3 on two sides thereof. Ahood M is provided .at the front of the frame and is movable on hingesl6 connecting with the shelf ll so it may be lifted to have access tothe'drum. An axle IT is journaled in the two flanges l2 and I3, as shownparticularly in Figs. 2 and 'I, and carries a sander drum l8 thereon. Asillustrated in Fig. 'l,'the left end (from the front) of the shaft I1 isjournaled in the flange l2 in a manner so as to permit the machine to bedriven as close as 0 necessary to the wall to sand up to thequarterround A. This assembly comprises a bearing housing It: secured tothe flange l2 and extending into a depressed portion lfi in one end ofthe drum to bring the latter as close to the outside of the frame.as'possible. This construction eliminates the hand 'work necessary withthe machines heretofore used, which could not be operated close enoughto the wall to surface the floor up to. themoulding; The sander includes40 the ordinary heavy cast drum and a slot l9 for pinching the sandingpaper or other material wrapped around the outside surface of the drumand holding it against movement during the operation of'the same. Inoperating the ,floor surfacing device, the sander 18, of course,'restsupon the surface of the floor and the frame is carried at the rearthereof by rubber tired wheels 21 and 22. These wheels are supported onan axle 23 of which one end is journaled in the flange l3 and the otherend is adjustably supported in a bracket and adjusting screw assemblyshown in Fig. 6. This structure includes an L-shaped bracket 26 having ahorizontal leg 21 and a vertical leg 28. The axle 23 itself is journaledin the vertical leg 28, while an adjusting screw 29 is rotatably securedby pin 39 in the horizontal leg 21. The adjusting screw 29 protrudesthrough a threaded portion in the shelf H of the frame with the head ofthe same extending above said shelf such as to permit adjustment bymeans of a wrench or the like. Upon rotation of the adjusting screw 29,the axle 23 is raised or lowered out of its normal horizontal plane, andis guided and held against lateral movement, both during this action andwhen in the adjusted position, by means of a guide screw 3| secured inthe vertical leg 28 of the bracket and extending through a verticalelongated slot 32 cut in the flange l3 of the frame. The screw 3| may beloosened prior to the adjustment of the screw 29 so as to permit moreeasy movement upwardly and downwardly, and then after the desiredposition is attained, may be tightened against the flange [3 to rigidlyhold the bracket in this adjustment. By adjusting the horizontal planeof the rear axle 23 in the manner described, the sander l8 may bepositioned and operated at angles such that one is enabled to work onuneven floors and particularly along the outer edge of the floor wherethe wall has sagged and in sagging lowered the floor itself.

As the sander is operated, sanding dust is removed from the floor, andit is necessary to provide means for collecting this as it leaves thesander l8 so as to preclude the circulation of this dust throughout theroom. Ordinarily, in resurfacing fioors, dust is blown throughout theroom to such an extent that elaborate preparations are necessary toprotect the contents of the room against damage. In my device, however,substantially complete dust collection is effected so that resurfacingmay be accomplished with no more extensive preparations for the Workthan that attendant upon an ordinary polishing operation. The structurefor accomplishing this includes a dust pan 33 which tapers rearwardly asshown in Fig. 8, from a narrow opening 34, extending the width of thesander H! to an annular neck fitting on to a blower housing 35. A blower(not shown) is carried in the housing on a shaft rotated by theoperation of the pulley 35 The blower housing is suspended at the rearof the frame from the shelf I l. A blower tube 36 opens out of thehousing 35 and extends upwardly to the rear of the shelf, as shown inFig. 2. A cloth bag or the like 31 may be fastened to the top of theblower tube 36 and in turn secured to the handle of the machine. Theblower is adjustably mounted for forward or rearward adjustment on theframe by means of bolts 38 (Fig. 1) extending through elongatedapertures 39 in the shelf II.

In order to surface the floor and immediately collect the dust, thesander l8 and blower are simultaneously operated by a high speed motor40 adjustably mounted on the top of the frame by bolts 4|. The highspeed operation of the motor, with a corresponding speed for rotation ofthe blower, creates a considerable suction from the dust pan 33 at thesander. This is intensified by the shape of the pan, with the narrowslit opening, and extending rearwardly along straight walls to acomparatively large round neck.

' A double pulley P (Fig. 9) carried on the shaft of the motor includesa groove 42 for a belt connection to the pulley 43 on the sander axlel1, and a groove 42 for a belt connection with the pulley 35 on theblower. The pulley P is mounted very close to the motor on the motorshaft, and in order to assist in the circulation of air to cool themotor, fins 44 are provided and extend radially on the inside of thepulley. Air vents 45 extend inwardly at an angle between adjacent fins44. The belt 4! connecting the sander extends through an aperture 48 inthe shelf of the frame, and the belt 49 connecting the blower extendsthrough the aperture to the rear of the frame.

The structure described above provides for a ready assembly of theentire machine, and the adjustable features on the blower and motorprovide for the tightening of these belts after the entire machine hasbeen completely assembled or as the belts become loosened through use.Thus by the adjustable mounting of motor and blower, the heavy sandingdrum is fixedly mounted in the frame, but slack in the driving belts maybe taken up. For instance if the sander belt '47 becomes loose, themotor is shift-ed to the rear to tighten the belt. This loosens theblower belt 49 but the slack may be taken up by shifting the blowerrearwardly. If only the blower belt becomes slack it is only necessaryto shift the blower rearwardly. Another important function of theadjustability of the motor, particularly, is the possibility ofadjusting the weight on the frame so as to obtain the proper balance formost efficient operation of the device. The balance of the drum isimportant in obtaining smooth floor surfacing, and increasing the lifeof the sand paper on the drum.

A guard 50 as shown in Fig. 3 is removably secured to the motor andframe to cover the pulley P and belts at the pulley. An overall guardfor the moving parts adds to the safety factor in the operation of themachine to insure against injury to an inexperienced operator inparticular.

The machine as a whole may be very easily guided by means of a handle 52carried on an upward extension 53 of the U-shaped handle bracket 54. Thehandle bracket is bolted at the rear of the frame as shown in Fig. 1,and extends rearwardly therefrom, with the opening in the center of thesame permitting the mounting of the blower tube 36 to the rear of theframe, and free of the bracket. The handle itself may be adjustedthrough an angle of 360 as a result of the sleeve construction providinga handle tube member 56 fitting over the extension 53 and adjustablysecured thereto by a hand screw 51. The handle may also be adjustedvertically on the extension 53. In order to'provide for greater ease inthe guiding of the machine, a cross handle 58 extends at right angles tothe shaft 58 and supplements the ordinary hand grip '59 at the top ofthe shaft. Because of the adjustable feature of the handle, it ispossible to move the same to any position required for operating themachine along a wall, for instance where the cross handle 58 might rubagainst the wall and interfere with the guidance of the machine. Thecross handle may also be used to tilt the machine momentarily to surfacean uneven portion on the floor. An electrical connection 6| extends fromthe motor 40 up through the handle and out the cross handle 58 with apronged plug 62 on the end thereof, which in turn maybe connected withan extension cord.

The light weight of the entire device makes it possible for one man tolift the machine by gripping the handle 63 on the motor 40, and the handgrip 64 integral with the bracket 54.

At the rear of and mounted on the sides of the frame are two feet 63 soarranged that the machine may be-tiltedbac'k on; wheels 2 l -,22 to restonthe feet. j I Itwill thus beeseen thatI provide a very compact and,simple machine, comparatively light in weight and inexpensive from thestandpoint of initial cost and maintenance as. compared to the largecomplicated sanding machines in ordinary use in the past. I furthermoreprovide a machine that may be operated and moved about by a single.person who is either experienced or inexperienced'in thisparticularwork, with a certainty of satisfactory resurfacing without theordinary attendant extensive preparation for such ajob. M J- .j'.

I have referred to the drum as a sander, but

this drum may be replaced by any other type of drum or brush, or anysurfacing placed on the drum as steel wool or other materials.

Although I have described the sanding machine in its preferredembodiment, it is understood that I do not limit the scope of myinvention thereby, but I aim to cover all that which comes within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. In a floor surfacing machine, a frame comprising a shelf withdownwardly extending side walls on two sides thereof, a drum carried atthe front of the frame, and supporting wheels at the rear thereof, anaxle for said wheels journalled at one end in a fixed position in one ofsaid side walls, and adjustable supporting means for the other end ofthe axle, said means including a movable bracket within the frame andadjacent the other side wall for carrying the end of the axle in fixedrelation to the movable bracket, an

adjusting screw threadedly secured in the frame shelf for supporting thebracket, and means between the latter side wall and the bracket forpreventing lateral movement of the axle.

2. In a floor surfacing machine, a frame comprising a shelf withdownwardly extending side walls on two sides thereof, a drum carried atthe front of the frame, and supporting wheels at the rear thereof, anaxle for said wheels journalled at one end in a fixed position in one ofsaid side walls, and adjustable supporting means for the other end ofthe axle, said means including an L-shaped movable bracket within theframe and adjacent the other side wall, with a vertical leg for carryingthe end of the axle in fixed relation thereto, and a horizontal leg atthe top of said vertical leg, an adjusting screw rotatable in thehorizontal leg and threadably secured in the frame shelf for supportingthe bracket, and means for preventing lateral movement of the axle,including a pin extending between the horizontal leg and the adjacentside wall, but permitting vertical movement of the bracket.

3. In a floor surfacing machine, a frame comprising a shelf withdownwardly extending side walls on two sides thereof, a drum carried atthe front of the frame, and supporting wheels at the rear thereof, anaxle for said wheels journalled at one end in a fixed position in one ofsaid side walls, and adjustable supporting means for the other end ofthe axle, said means including an L-shaped movable bracket within theframe and adjacent the other side wall, with a vertical leg for carryingthe end of the axle in fixed relation thereto, and a horizontal legextending inwardly at the top of said vertical leg, an adjusting screwrotatable in the horizontal leg,'extending through the frame shelf andthreadably secured therein for adjustably supportingthe bracket, andmeans for preventing lateral movement of the axle, including a headedpin in the vertical leg extending through and sliding in an elongatedslot in'said other side wall in alignment with the vertical legpermitting vertical movement of the bracket.

4. In a floor machine, a frame carrying a floor surfacing drum anddriving motor, a handle bracket for said frame and extending rearwardlytherefrom in a horizontal plane, a stub shaft extending. upwardly at therear of the bracket in an inclined position, a tubularv handle shaftadjustably carriedon the stub shaft to permit rotational or verticalmovement of said handle, a gripping handle at the top of the handleshaft and a single laterally extending guiding handle on the shaft belowthe gripping handle.

5. In a floor machine, a frame carrying a floor surfacing drum anddriving motor, a handle bracket for said frame and extending rearwardlytherefrom, a handle shaft on said bracket having a gripping handle atthe top thereof, a single guiding handle below said gripping handle onthe shaft and extending laterally from one side thereof, means at theend of said lateral handle for making electrical connection with anelectrial supply for said motor, and means for adjustably securing theshaft to the bracket to permit rotation or vertical movement of theshaft to vary the position of the guiding handle. 7

- 6. In a floor machine, a frame carrying a floor surfacing drum anddriving motor, a handle bracket for said frame and extending rearwardlytherefrom in a horizontal plane, a stub shaft extending upwardly at therear of the bracket in an inclined position, a tubular handle shaftadjustably carried on the stub shaft to permit rotational or verticalmovement of said handle, a gripping handle at the top of the handleshaft, a single laterally extending guiding handle on the shaft belowthe gripping handle, and means at the end of said lateral handle formaking electrical connection with an electrical supply for said motor.

'7. In a floor surfacing machine, a channel sheet metal frame comprisinga shelf having downwardly extending flanges on two sides thereof, aU-shaped bracket having its legs rigidly secured inside said frame andextending rearwardly in a horizontal plane therefrom, an annularextension extending upwardly at an inclined angle from the yoke of saidbracket, and a tubular handle shaft telescopically mounted on theextension and adjustable thereon.

8. In a floor treating machine, a frame, a floor treating drum rotatablycarried at one end, and a supporting wheel at the other end, drumoperating means on said frame, an elongated guiding and operating handleat the rear of the frame adjustable to suit the height of the operatormoving said machine on the floor, means facilitating the lifting of saidmachine from the floor for ready portability thereof, said meanscomprising a U-shaped bracket at the rear of the frame supporting saidhandle, with said handle removable therefrom, and said bracket having ahorizontal yoke portion shaped for hand gripping tereof extendingcrosswise of said frame, and rigidly and horizontally from said frame,and a handle on said machine near the front thereof, lying crosswise ofthe machine and horizontally when in gripping position, whereby saidmachine may be raised from the floor and carried, supported in bothhands, the positions of said gripping handles being such as to provides,good division of weight between the two hands.

9. In a floor machine, a frame having a motor carrying shelf and sidewalls on two sides thereof, a rotatable drum carried at the front of theframe, and supporting wheels at the rear thereof, means for guiding andleveling said machine to adapt it to non-normal operating conditions ona floor, said means including an axle for said rear supporting wheels journalled at one-end in a fixed position in one of said side walls,supporting means for the other end of said axle carried adjustablyupwardly and downwardly with respect to the top of the frame to vary thelevel of the FREDERICK E. WADHAMS.

